NF-κB-related decrease of glioma angiogenic potential by graphite nanoparticles and graphene oxide nanoplatelets.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Gliomas exhibit increased vascularization and a pro-oxidative microenvironment, driven by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS).
• The transcription factor NF-κB, influenced by ROS/RNS and p53 mutation status, plays a key role in glioma malignancy and angiogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of graphite nanoparticles (NG) and graphene oxide nanoplatelets (nGO) on glioma angiogenesis.
• To determine if p53 mutation status affects the response of glioma cells to these nanoparticles.

Main Methods:

• Co-culturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with glioma cell lines (U87 with wild-type p53 and U118 with mutant p53) treated with NG and nGO.
• Measuring intracellular ROS/RNS levels and NF-κB signaling pathway activation.
• Analyzing downstream protein expression including interleukin 6, interleukin 8, growth-regulated oncogene α, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1.

Main Results:

• NG and nGO treatment significantly decreased HUVEC angiogenesis when co-cultured with U87 (wild-type p53) cells.
• Nanoparticle treatment was ineffective in reducing angiogenesis with U118 (mutant p53) cells.
• The observed effects correlated with reduced intracellular ROS/RNS levels and downregulated NF-κB signaling, which was dependent on the p53 status.

Conclusions:

• The anti-angiogenic activity of NG and nGO in gliomas is dependent on the p53 mutation status of the tumor cells.
• These findings highlight the potential for developing personalized nanomedicine strategies for glioma treatment, targeting angiogenesis and the tumor microenvironment based on individual p53 status.